WOU Softball: Wolves Sweep Doubleheader from Saints

The Western Oregon softball team will continue its season next week with a pair of doubleheaders at Central Washington, Mar. 14-15.

Salem-News.com Sports

MONMOUTH, Ore. - The Western Oregon University softball team swept a doubleheader from Great Northwest Athletic Conference rival Saint Martin's 8-1 and 3-2, Sunday (Mar. 8) to take three out of four in the series.

The wins moved the Wolves record to 8-4 on the season and in the conference as the Saints fell to 2-15 and 1-11 in conference.

Game 1

Stephanie Albrecht pitched a complete game giving up just one run and six hits to lift Western Oregon to an 8-1 in game one.

This was the second straight win for Albrecht (2-2) which picked up her first victory of the season Saturday in a complete game. In her past 13 innings of work she has given up only 11 base runners (nine hits, three walks) and just one run.

Tyler Sutherland led Western Oregon at the plate going 2-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs scored. Right fielder Emily Kenagy was went 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and a run scored. Amanda Fleer also picked up two RBIs one on a groundout and the other on a hit by pitch.

The Wolves kept pressure on the Saints all game as they put 16 runners on base with seven hits, seven walks and two errors. WOU would get on the board first with two runs in the top of the first inning on a Fleer groundout and a Kylee Hancock RBI double.

Kristine Kaneshiro would respond for the Saints in the bottom of the first with a solo home run to account for SMU's only run of the game. The Wolves would go on to add two runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings to seal the victory.

Game 2

Kylee Hancock doubled to center in the top of eighth inning to drive in Amanda Fleer and propel Western Oregon a 3-2 victory in the nightcap.

After Fleer led off the top of the eighth with a double she advanced to third base on a wild pitched and scored the game-winning on Hanock's first hit of the game.

Jessica Wood (4-1) earned the win in relief of Emily Kenagy. Wood took over in the bottom of the third inning and pitched the final 5.1 innings allowing just three hits and no runs as Western Oregon won its third straight game.

The Wolves managed only seven hits and three runs against Saints' starter Jamie Herrick in her eight innings of work. WOU scored early as it got single runs in the first and second inning. After Sutherland started the game off with a double Tierra-Lyn Cuba doubled to center to score the Wolves' first run of the game. It would score its second on a Bailey Rueck single to center scoring Rocky Knuth which had led off the inning with a double.

Saint Martin's would mount a two-out rally in the bottom of the third to tie the game at two apiece. With two down, Megan Antonvich doubled to center and was singled home by Kristine Kaneshiro. After a walk and a single the bases were loaded for Holly Morris who singled to center to tie the game. The game would remain tied until Hancock's double in the top of the eighth.

"The Saints always play us tough," said Western Oregon head coach Pam Knox. "We have been persistent this season even if we are not playing our best softball."

Knox would continue speaking about the importance of winning the series, "to stay in the conference race we have to win three out of four games."

She would continue, "We are still trying to find ourselves and put our game together we are just not quite in-synch yet but there is still so much softball to be played."

The Western Oregon softball team will continue its season next week with a pair of doubleheaders at Central Washington, Mar. 14-15.

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